Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The trial of controversial Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki for breaches to Covid-19 restrictions continues today.
The Crown aims to convince Judge June Jelas that Brian Tamaki, Hannah Tamaki and two others are criminally culpable for a series of protests held in Auckland during the Level 3 lockdown in late-2021.
Tamaki's lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC, indicated that he wouldn't dispute the gatherings took place or that his clients attended them, but instead would argue that the lockdown rules were not intentionally broken and the group was unfairly targeted by police.
Rules at the time required gatherings to be no more than 10 people, later increasing to 25 in November, but protests organised by Tamaki's Freedom and Rights Coalition had crowds exceeding 1000 people, with one event hosting 5000.
Brian Tamaki arrives at the Auckland District Court, where he faces multiple charges after attending three protests against lockdowns and vaccine mandates. Photo: Felix Walton
Mansfield pointed to other protests which took place during the pandemic including those organised by Groundswell and the Black Lives Matter movement.
He suggested the police response to gatherings organised by the Freedom and Rights Coalition was disproportionate compared to how they handled other protest events.
Mansfield asked the former principal advisor in the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Renee Perkins, whether she was aware of any messages between politicians and the commissioner's office relating to Brian Tamaki.
Perkins said she was not aware of any such correspondence.
Noting an online petition that called for Tamaki to be charged for the protests, Mansfield suggested the police faced public and political pressure to take particular action against Brian Tamaki.
He noted that various politicians criticised Tamaki and the media repeatedly inquired about what action police would take.
"What I suggest is the commissioner's office was acutely aware of such criticism," Mansfield said.
The trial is set for two weeks.